Events of yesterday

I want to take a moment and reflect on what occurred yesterday (June 18) on the subway, and to also say just how immensely proud I am of this organization.

As we all know, tragically, someone was pushed in front of an eastbound subway train Monday morning at about 10:15 a.m. at Yonge Station. It became apparent very quickly that this was not a suicide attempt. As a result, police secured Yonge Station as a crime scene while TTC staff and first responders worked to free the victim from under the train. An emergency run was made to St. Michael’s Hospital where, sadly, the victim died.

Incredibly, as that was all happening, a man intentionally descended to track level at College Station in an attempt to die by suicide.

As a result of these tragic events, two subway lines in the downtown core were shut down, with Yonge Station remaining closed until about 4:45 p.m.

Transit Control, Bus Transportation, Stations, Transit Enforcement, Subway Infrastructure, Subway Transportation, Customer Service and Corporate Communications all stepped up as one team and responded to these incidents with professionalism, compassion and a sense of mission.

For anyone affected by yesterday’s tragedies, I encourage you to avail yourself of the Employee and Family Assistance Plan. It was a very trying day for us all. Thank you, again, for all that you do. You make this city proud; it’s when crises occur that we see just how well-prepared we are, and just how much we care. That was evident yesterday.

Rick
June 19, 2018